Sports

Thursday, August 8, 2002

Eagle netters main matches now in spring

The Pecos Eagles' tennis team won't have as much at stake during team
tennis play this fall as in past years, but they will get a chance to match
up against three of their district rivals before the main matches take place
next spring.

With the move down to Class 3A from Class 4A, Pecos will no longer be
playing team tennis competition in the fall. "Team and individual will both
be in the spring about a month apart," said coach Mike Ortiz. "Team will
be in March and the individual will be in April."

But Ortiz said even though the main part of the season will be after the
start of the new year, the Eagles tentatively have 15 dual meets scheduled
for the fall season, after opening play on Aug. 23 with a team tournament
in Fort Stockton.

The Panthers, along with Monahans and Greenwood, are the district teams
on Pecos' fall schedule. The Eagles will face the Loboes twice in September,
and will also play Greenwood twice and Fort Stockton three times between
mid-September and mid-October.

"Right now we have a total of 12 out. A lot of them are still on vacation,
so I'm expecting at least 26 eventually to show up," said Ortiz. "I've got
almost all my boys from last year. I lost one, and two girls, and have four
senior boys and four senior girls."

The returning players include juniors Natalia Ornelas and Trent Graham,
who both won the District 2-4A singles titles this past season, while Jay
Dannelley and Bobby Sotelo were the other Eagles to advance to regionals
in the spring. Pecos won the District 2-4A team title last fall, and have
advanced to regionals the past four years and five times in the past eight
seasons.

"It's just going to be a little tougher this season. Fort Stockton's going
to be the favorites next to us, but we've got a chance to beat them if we
play good," said Ortiz. "It's not like last year, when I think the kids had
a feeling they were expected to win. This year, I think they feel they can
win if they work hard enough, and that typifies this team. The kids will
work hard and good things will happen."

The Eagles' schedule is listed below (home matches in bold):

August
23-24 _ at Fort Stockton

September
7 _ Midland Christian & Trinity at Midland _ 9 a.m./2 p.m.

10 _ at Monahans _ 3:30 p.m.

21 _ Greenwood & Ft. Stockton _ 9 a.m./2 p.m.

24 _ Monahans _ 3:30 p.m.

October
1 _ at Fort Stockton _ 3:45 p.m.

11 _ EP Montwood _ 4 p.m.

12 _ Midland Trinity _ 2 p.m.

15 _ Fort Stockton _ 3:45 p.m.

19 _ vs. Greenwood, Brownfield & Sweetwater at Midland
_ 9 a.m.

26 _ Midland Trinity & Midland Greenwood — 9 a.m./2 p.m.

Junior high equipment pick-up set for Aug. 16

Preseason workouts for the Pecos Eagles' junior high school football teams
will begin on Monday, Aug. 19, and junior high coach Michael Valencia said
equipment pick-up for seventh and eighth graders would take place next Thursday,
Aug. 16.

Players for both grades can get their equipment from 6 to 9 p.m. at the
Crockett Middle School gym, located on the west side of the building. Valencia
said that players who have not yet returned their completed physical forms
should do so at that time, in order to be able to practice on Aug. 19.

Regular season play for both the seventh and eighth grade teams will begin
on Sept. 5 with games against the Alpine Bucks. For more information, either
call coach Valencia at 557-0141 or the Pecos High School Field House, at
447-7220.

Workouts will also begin on Aug. 19 for Crockett seventh and eighth grade
volleyball players, who also must have their physical forms filled out by
a doctor and returned to their coaches before they can begin preseason workouts.
Regular season for the junior high volleyball teams also opens on Sept. 5,
with games against Van Horn.